The graphic design and visual language of signs in the US have a very unique feel to them. I have started a personal project to photograph and record the names and locations of the many signs I encounter as I continue to explore this vast country.

Here is an old sign from the outside dining areas at the Green Mesquite BBQ in Austin, Texas. A great place, incredible food and very good value. The yard had a bunch of old rusty beer signs nailed to the walls. A lot of modern places try to imitate that with reclaimed signage. This place was authentic.

I will post more as the collection grows.

Ok so that was weird. I was sat in TGI Friday’s having a beer (it was raining and it was joined to my hotel) - and all of a sudden Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters came over and sat at the adjacent table. A couple of people buzzed around, including a photographer. She proceeded to take some snaps with me kind of sitting in the whole scene. I got talking to the publicist (or whatever) and she was really cool. I was able to go and sit with the man himself and get a photo, and we chatted a little bit about his music etc. Really nice guy. He told me to come and say hello when he is playing in Boston in summer. Ok, you got it Mr. Thornton.

After a pretty bumpy plane ride and what seemed like a descent into nothing but grid-like farmland, I touched down in Austin. The weather here is awesome - got to make the best of it before I go home to Boston.

I met up with molecular buddies: Brandon, Paul and Mac. We picked up the hire car and headed into town for some Tex Mex food and Margaritas. What else would you do first in Texas? Brandon went to college in Austin so he knows the place pretty well. As we drove down the highway to our destination, Chuy’s, I noticed a few things. Everything seems much bigger here. The roads are huge. The land around property is huge. Even more so than New England. Also, what is it with all the Piñata stores? There were loads of them. How many of these things do the people here go through?

Chuy’s was very cool, friendly service, massive portions of authentic Tex Mex and cheap booze. We headed off to the Austin Convention Centre in a lighter mood.

The Convention Centre was pretty busy, we joined the first line to pick up our badges. All around me I noticed a lot of different people, some drinking beer whilst waiting, others sat on their laptops geeking out. All just generally waiting in line.

30 minutes later, badge around my neck, I picked up my free stuff (it came in one of those cloth shopping bags with a huge Adobe logo.) I headed to my hotel to check in and relax before the first evening party: Friday night mix at six.

Like the newbies we were, we arrived too late to the party and the line was massive. Instead we explored downtown Austin. There are a lot of laid back bars here, all clustered together in a relatively short space. A bar crawler’s dream.

The coutdown begins for the South by Southwest interactive festival in Austin, Texas. I leave on Friday 7 March. Very excited. I have made a schedule using this handy online utility, Sched.org - check it out.

During the course of the festival I will be blogging at this usual place, but also myself and several Molecular peeps will be adding to our Molecular voices blog.

Last weekend I visited my friend Shannon at her cool loft space in Brooklyn.

One of the most fascinating things for me about New York are the tall buildings. Not just the architecture, and scale, but the thousands upon thousands of windows. Looking out from my hotel on 37th and Lexington, I can see a huge building in front of me each of its windows containing different rooms with different occurances. Many people, each in their own apartments, their unique space. Preparing dinner, exercising, arguing, working watching television, cleaning and so on. I wonder who all these people are, what they do, what they like, where do they come from? So many people, totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things, yet in their own world they are the center of everything. Then I realise, someone is looking at me… are they thinking the same thing?

Up at 4.30am surprisingly easily, in order to catch the 6.15am Acela train from Boston’s South Station to New York’s Penn Station. It is always exciting to visit New York, this will make it my third time in the Big Apple. I’m currently leading the complete re-design for NikonUSA.com. It is a really exciting project, and it means I am collaborating with Molecular’s NYC office.Wow this train can move… I wonder if they realise how bumpy it is though, quite hard to type, and I am sure the hundreds of other single-serving business class passengers feel the same as me, as they frantically balance their excel sheets, or construct their boring powerpoints on their HP bricks. I must be the only guy on here with a Mac. I’m sure some guy gave me that ‘PC vs. Mac’ look of snobbery before. Oh well.So the train is very comfortable, much wider than our Virgin trains back home. Good seats, adjustable head rest etc. Tables and power outlets on every seat. The train guys wear those old fashioned hats like you see in the movies. They are so happy and helpful, what is that about American customer service? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like it, but being British I am used to people snarling at me and showing me the same amount of attention as a concrete wall.This train actually goes to NY, then onto Washington DC. It would be really great if I could just stay on the train and get off there. Acting spontaneously, visiting a city without planning it at all. As you grow older, everything must be planned, responsibility is a bitch.Ok signing off for now.

Saw some very cool and noisy planes at a military airshow in Mashpee, Cape Cod. Got to chat to the guy who flies this expensive piece of steel.

View the photos from my trip to New Hampshire here.

It took me one and a half days to find an apartment in Cambridge. I am pretty excited. It is off Mass. Avenue right between Porter Square and Harvard Square. Great location, it is a 1920’s building with hardwood floors and a proper old fireplace. Will post photos up as soon as I can.